(Tennis news) Novak Djokovic has overcome many challenges and has risen up on every occasion. He did just that when he faced debutante Casper Ruud at the Nitto ATP Finals, as the opening set saw both the players exchanging long rallies and covering a lot of ground. Djokovic even had a fall in the first game but got back on his feet in no time to hit the next shot and Ruud also hit a tweener as the fireworks were present right from the beginning.
Djokovic’s defensive shields were returning every shot Ruud hit as the Serbian somehow was able to predict most of the strokes. Even though Djokovic is 12 years older to Ruud, the court coverage and the ball striking were precise and timed to perfection. Ruud also toned his groundstrokes as his patience was tested, the first set went till a tie breaker as Ruud fell short and Djokovic was halfway to victory. In the second set, Ruud could not do the same as Djokovic began building his lead as he served at 5-2 and finished the match with a wide angled serve. Djokovic now has 39 victories at the event and is second in the list alongside Ivan Lendl as Roger Federer is leading with 59 victories.
“I recovered from that fall on that breakpoint in that first game,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “It was very strange. I played a good forehand and came into the net and had a pretty comfortable overhead and I slipped, tripped, dropped my racquet and lost my serve. The conditions here are quite tough. If you lose your serve, it is difficult to get it back. But I managed to stay in. I am very pleased with the way I handled the match.”
Andrey Rublev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a one way match as Rublev’s serve added to his firepower. Tsitsipas and Rublev did not have a good run before coming at this event as Tsitsipas seemed to be worn out as the Russian did not face a single break point in the match. Tsitsipas had beaten Rublev in the finals at Monte Carlo and also met last year at ATP Finals where again Tsitsipas won.
Rublev’s serve and forehand was a successful mixture as it kept the rallies short and fast. Tsitsipas unforced errors also contributed to his loss as now the pair has split their 8 meetings with 4 wins each. In the second set, Rublev broke the Greek god’s serve in the fifth game as it gave a crucial lead once again to Rublev who kept the lead as Tstispas will wait to come in form in the next match. Rublev defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.
In doubles, 2019 champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert also made their entrance with a victory over Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah in their first match. Nicolas and Herbert defeated Cabal and Robert 7-6(7-1), 6-4.
